Dan Rosenberg’s bootloader unlocking tool for Motorola devices is a pretty fantastic hack. Unfortunately, it does a painful requirement that some Motorola devices can’t get; root access. Many Motorola devices upgraded to Android 4.1.2 simply can’t be rooted. Well, before today, anyway. Dan Rosenberg, once again, has released a little hack to get your Motorola device rooted and prepped for that unlocked bootloader. This method was designed with the Droid RAZR HD in mind, but it will work on many other Motorola devices running 4.1.2.

Like always, rooting your phone does come with upsides and downsides, so be sure to read up on it before you make any hasty decisions. When you’re ready, hit the break below to get the instructions. Read more

Yesterday, the bootloader was unlocked on some major Motorola phones by Dan Rosenberg; the RAZR (MAXX) HD, RAZR M, and the Atrix HD. Motorola devices are notoriously difficult to unlock, so that was a pretty big deal. Today, that unlock tool was released to users. As a warning, it does void your warranty, and the tool cannot relock the bootloader, only unlock it. Motorola also will probably fix the exploit used in a future software update, so if you want to unlock your device, it’s best to do it sooner rather than later.

To get started, you’ll simply have to have a rooted, supported device, then follow the instructions below, and remember that as of right now, this is irreversible. Read more

Well this is new. Instead of Motorola’s usual Apple-bashing ads, it looks like they’re going after Android’s top dog; Samsung’s Galaxy S III. It launched this morning on Moto’s Facebook page with a punny tagline about downloading from another galaxy, and links to a little slideshow on Motorola’s website slamming comparing the S III to their own Droid RAZR HD. The RAZR HD features a battery with 20% more juice than what the S3 offers, as well as Kevlar backing, which also happens to be splash resistant. They take a low shot here at Samsung’s plastic backing, but all’s fair in vicious viral advertising, right?

The last side shows off how much better designed and innovative the hardware is on the RAZR HD by giving you a side-by-side look at both phones. My only problem with this is that the side shot of the S III looks like a low-res image off the 32nd page on a Google search. It’s a bit unfair, but the RAZR HD does have a very nicely designed body.

Since Apple isn’t controlling the market anymore, I guess we should all expect the Android OEMs to turn on each other for their marketing tactics. But, hey, competition is never a bad thing.

At Motorola’s announcement for the DROID RAZR HD and the DROID RAZR M a few months ago, the company promised that it would update its new handsets to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) sometime before the end of the year. Well, with only six weeks left until December 31st, Motorola appears to be making good on its promise. Owners of the DROID RAZR HD who are signed up for Motorola’s Feedback Network are receiving invites to beta-test a new software build. Since the Motorola DROID RAZR M already received its taste of Jelly Bean, it makes sense that the DROID RAZR HD (and RAZR HD MAXX) will be next in line to receive Google’s latest offering. Even though there is no official word on what exactly the update contains, we are guessing that DROID RAZR HD (and HD MAXX) owners are in for a tasty treat!

Did any of you RAZR HD owners receive an invite? What feature are you looking forward to most in the newest update? Let us know in the comments!

As with any other Android device, root is eventually achieved. The Motorola DROID RAZR M, RAZR i, RAZR HD and Atrix HD have all received root thanks to XDA user djrbliss. The process that exploits root in these devices is called Motofail2Go and is a virtual one-click root process.

You’ll need a Windows PC, Motorola’s latest USB drivers and the program itself. If you’re brave and willing to give this a shot then head on over to the source link for instructions and more information regarding this rooting process.

In a move which I’m sure will make plenty of devs and flash-happy consumers elated, Motorola has extended their bootloader unlock program to a couple of their newest devices, the Motorola RAZR HD and Motorola RAZR i. The RAZR HD will be un-lockable in the flowing areas: Europe, Australia, South America and on Rogers in Canada. As for the RAZR i, it will be un-lockable “worldwide.”

Of course, the sad part is that consumers in the US can’t fully take advantage of this, but I suppose that’s where we point the finger to the US carriers, right?

Motorola has already made it clear that the Droid RAZR MAXX HD won’t be launching until closer to the holidays, but the company has gone ahead and released its first TV spot for its new handset. The manufacturer touts it as having an “edge-to-edge display”, which seems like a bit of a stretch considering the Droid RAZR M has much less bezel. There’s still no word on an exact date for availability, but our guess is that it will make its debut around Thanksgiving. Either way, you can watch the official video below.

As we reported a couple weeks ago, Motorola has an event planned for next week on September 5th in New York in conjunction with Verizon Wireless. We have surmised that both Motorola DROID RAZR HD and a Motorola DROID RAZR M devices will be released. Bloomberg is now reporting that a source familiar with plans for the event has indicated one of the devices to be unveiled will be a Motorola smartphone with virtually no bezel, effectively giving it an edge-to-edge screen. If true, this will make it unique in the smartphone market. Whatever the new device is, as Bloomberg notes, this will be the first high-profile Android device release for Motorola since being acquired by Google earlier this year.

Looking back through some photos that have leaked of the DROID RAZR HD, there is some similarity with the latest image above. Could the DROID RAZR HD or even the rumored DROID RAZR MAXX HD sport the bezel-less screen? Would such a feature be something you would be interested in?

Earlier today we reported that Motorola posted a teaser on its Facebook site indicating a new device coming Friday. While everyone assumed it would be the Motorola RAZR HD due to the numerous leaked photos, it turns out the post on Facebook was actually just a game. Becki Leonard, a spokesperson for Motorola, released a statement: “We’re sorry for the confusion, but it’s a Facebook game asking people to guess a current smartphone and not meant to come across as a new phone.”

It was an easy mistake to make as the post was quite ambiguous to begin with. It asked people to “guess the smartphone” and that clues would be revealed each day until it would ultimately be unveiled on Friday. When Facebook commenters started throwing out the RAZR HD, Becki Leonard denied the rumors and stated, “It’s a phone already on the market. It’s which current smartphone is this?”

I’m sure this news will sadden some folks as the RAZR HD has been an anticipated device from Motorola. Hopefully news of the RAZR HD’s release will leak out soon, and we’ll be sure to inform you as soon as we know.

It’s Motorola’s turn to have some pictures of an upcoming device leaked onto the internet. Today it’s the Droid RAZR HD, which is expected on Verizon sometime in the near future. The phone sports a much improved screen over the original, but what other goodies it holds isn’t quite clear yet. Read more